Tamar Peace Trustee, Janine Healey, awarded at Australian Institute of Company Directors

Janine Healey bags gold at Australian Institute of Company Directors awards

Janine Healey was awarded the Tasmanian Gold Medal Award for excellence in governance by the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Picture by Craig George

A recent study has revealed many organisations across Australia are battling through a short supply of volunteers, and it's not a new issue.

Volunteering opens up doors and so much more, Janine Healey says after success continues to flow from her work in governance. "It's been pivotal to my success, because it's allowed me to participate in opportunities where I've been able to network and find other people," Mrs Healey said. "And then because I've done a good job, they'll remember me the next time they want something, and it might be for a paid position."

Janine Healey was awarded the Tasmanian Gold Medal Award for excellence in governance by the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Picture by Paul Scambler

She was awarded the Tasmanian Gold Medal Award for excellence in governance by the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

The Launceston resident said she was very humbled, elated and surprised to win the award, and also "very nervous" to deliver a speech upon receiving the award at a luncheon held on Thursday, September 21.

It isn't the first time Mrs Healey has been recognised for her efforts professionally and in public life. Her other accolades include on the Women's Honour roll in 2021 and was Launceston City Citizen of the Year in 2021.

She is armed with a background as a chartered accountant and has been heavily involved with volunteer boards.

"It's where I think I can make a difference," she said. "My skill set is often sought out for a lot of not-for-profit organisations. I make an assessment based on either my passion for the issue or looking at it, dispassion. Sometimes dispassionate is quite appropriate for organisations."

Since retiring at Christmas 2022, Mrs Healey said she had a number of organisations asking her to be involved. "I choose the ones that I think I can provide the most value to," she said.

Her first taste in governance happened after becoming involved in her son's soccer program.

"I started off with myself and another parent, who was the coach, I was the admin. By the time my son left to go to club soccer ,we had about seven teams in school," Mrs Healey said. "So that's what I do. I really enjoy that. I got involved for my son's little athletics, and we grew the club from 29 athletes to 149. "I like seeing success."

Those small beginnings gave way to other board positions including Aurora Energy, Tasrail, Interact IT Services, Hydro Tasmania and Football Federation.

She was also on the founding board of Harvest Farmers Market, and used "dispassion" to level out the enthusiasm around the table; "they still are so enthusiastic about what they do, so sometimes you need that little bit of grounding".

Fermentation Tasmania is another fully volunteer board Mrs Healey is involved with, which she said a significant amount of work was taken on by the board, and also sits on the board of Unconformity.

Being chair of an advisory board to start up company X-Hemp, she said was also on the horizon.

"I'm very thrilled to be able to provide some assistance there to a business that's a start up, so that's quite exciting," she said.

Traditionally, boards have been considered a male-dominated space. Mrs Healey said that was changing and referenced the Aurora Energy board with four out of five being female. Another example, she said was X-Hemp, which is female-led and run.

"Most of the boards I'm on now, there's a decent array of women," Mrs Healey said. "It wasn't always the case in the past. "I think there's a conscious effort now to make sure you get the right balance around the board table of skills, gender, experience, culture and diversity of thinking, which is my big thing."

She said without the support of her husband, Anthony, she wouldn't have accomplished what she has done.

"I've always taken a lot on and we've done this as a team," Mrs Healey said. "He's been very supporting, and my son Conor is also very supporting - poor little boy, when he was young he had to sit in the corner while mum was running meetings."

Article by Molly Appleton. Published Examiner Newspaper, 21st September, 2023

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